Summary

• Batman: The Caped Crusader to transport fans to '40s noir world with no computers or cell phones.
• Harley Quinn to be more than Joker's girlfriend, serving as a psychiatrist with villainous intentions.
• Bruce Wayne portrayed as a "weird human being" in Batman: Caped Crusader premiering in August on Prime Video.

For fans of the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, the upcoming ‘spiritual sequel’ series Batman: The Caped Crusader is a hugely exciting prospect. And we finally have our first look. Alongside the first official images from the animated show, which will follow The Dark Knight as he fights for Gotham’s soul in the 1940s, we also know when Batman: The Caped Crusader will debut, landing on Prime Video on Thursday, August 1.

Coming courtesy of EW, Batman: The Animated Series co-creator Bruce Timm revealed how Batman: Caped Crusader will differ from what has come before, with the show fully committing to its ‘40s noir setting. Meaning there will be “no computers and no cell phones.”

“James and I are both really big fans of movies from that era, so we decided to really lean into that in terms of the clothes, the cars, the architecture, and the level of technology. Early on, we decided there would be no computers and no cell phones. That changed everything.”

Initially set for release on what was HBO Max, Batman: Caped Crusader was saved by Amazon Prime Video after the HBO streaming service passed on the project. These first look images, which you can check out below, tease a series much like Batman: The Animated Series in its eeriness and noirish sensibilities, while harking back to the Batman stories and characters of old.

The images reveal Batman in all his glory, complete with the tall ears of ‘40s comics, as well as the likes of Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Clayface, all of whom look a little different to what fans are perhaps expecting.

Harley Quinn Will Be Much More Than Just Joker’s Girlfriend in Batman: Caped Crusader

One character who will undergo a few changes is Harley Quinn, who Bruce Timm reveals will be far more than just Joker’s girlfriend. Instead, she will keep up appearances as a psychiatrist, using her knowledge and skills to enact further villainy.

“I co-created the character, so I have a lot of love and affection for her, but I thought there might be something interesting about bringing her on the show, just not as Joker’s girlfriend. So how do we do that? A big part was just doing a basic flip. The original Dr. Quinzel was a little bit more serious, and then when she became Harley, she got really goofy and weird. So we thought, what if we reverse that? When she's Dr. Quinzel, she's a little bit more whimsical and fun, and then when she's Harley Quinn, she's scary.”

And one of her patients will be none other than Bruce Wayne himself, who Timm goes on to call “a really weird human being.”

“He's a really weird human being. He's not obsessed with his parents' murder, but it changed him in a way where he’s still not adjusted to being a human being. He's literally Batman; inside, that's who he is. Whenever he's Bruce Wayne, that's not just him with a mask off, that's him wearing a person suit. He's trying to pretend to be something that he's not.”

Created and produced by Bruce Timm, Matt Reeves, and J. J. Abrams, with Ed Brubaker as Head Writer, Batman: Caped Crusader is now due to premiere on Thursday, August 1, on Prime Video.